Flexible fastener and slider



Filed Dec. 10, 1964 March 15, 1966 s. AUSNET 3,239,904

FLEXIBLE FASTENER AND SLIDER 2 Sheets-Sheet l i" HI I x ,l

A TTORNE YS March 15, 1966 s. AUSNIT FLEXIBLE FASTENER AND SLIDER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 10, 1964 R S a a m m a a m 0 T 4 A M m M i Fun 6 MA I d United States Patent 3,239,904 FLEXIBLE FASTENER AND SLIDER Steven Ausnit, 124 E. 61st St., New York, N.Y. Filed Dec. 10, 1964, Ser. No. 417,283 5 Claims. (Cl. 2.4201) The present application is a continuation-in-part of my applications, Serial No. 220,824, filed August 31, 1962, and Serial No. 320,803, now Patent No. 3,160,934, filed November 1, 1963.

The present invention relates to improvements in flexible fastener strips of the type which attach to the top of a bag for closing and reopening the bag, and particularly to an improved slider for strips of the hinged type.

In hinged fastener strips first and second strips are provided each with a web portion for attaching to the top edges of a bag (or which may be integral with the walls of a bag), and marginal portions. The marginal portions have interlocking rib and groove elements on their facing surfaces which interlock when they are pressed together and separate when they are forcibly drawn apart. In a hinged fastener the marginal portion of the first strip is above its Web portion and the marginal portion of the second strip is attached to its web portion by a laterally extending hinge portion and this type of fastener is shown and described in my US. Patent No. 3,054,434, issued September 18, 1962, S. Ausnit and O. Kraus.

In providing a slider for fastener strips of various types, and particularly of the hinged type as described above, it is' necessary that the slider be capable of moving along the strips Without jamming or sticking to the strips. It is also desirable that the slider be movable with a minimum of effort. One type of slider for hinged fastener strips is shown and described in my copending application, Serial No. 220,824, filed August 31, 1962. A characteristic of this type of slider is that one of the strips in being separated from the other strip is turned or bent outwardly, and when the strips are separated by a separating finger, jamming or sticking will often occur. I have found that this type of sticking or locking occurs where there is a thin separating finger which will cause the slider to often jam.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an improved slider having structural features which make it slide easier along the fastener strips and which aid in preventing the slider from sticking or jamming as it is moved along the strips.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved slider structure employing a thin separating finger that has stmctural features which separate the two halves of the fastener at a broader angle and thereby avoids a type of locking or sticking that occurs with only a thin separating finger. I

A further object of the invention is to provide a slider for a hinged type fastener utilizing a thin inexpensive separating finger but employing a wing or guide attached to it to broaden the angle of separation between the strips for avoiding jamming of the slider.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved slider for a hinged fastener wherein the slider has simple planar parallel surfaces and is simpler and less expensive to manufacture than sliders heretofore available.

An important object of the invention is to provide a slider wherein the sides for locking fastener strips are parallel instead of tapered.

Another object of the invention is to provide a slider for a fastener with parallel sides and an ear which juts out at an angle from one of the sides to extend the area ice available for grasping the slider and may have an ear jutting out from a separating finger to facilitate sliding.

Other objects, advantages and features will become more apparent with the teaching of the principles of the invention in connection with the disclosure of the preferred embodiment thereof in the specification, claims and drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a slider constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially along line IIII of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal sectional view similar to FIGURE 2 but illustrating a modified form of the invention;

FIGURE 4 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along line IV-IV of FIGURE 1 and showing the closing end of the slider;

FIGURE 5 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along line VV of FIGURE 1 and showing the opening end of the slider;

FIGURE 6 is a vertical sectional view of a hinged type of fastener showing the fastener portions enlarged for clarity of illustration;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view similar to FIGURE 5 but showing a modified form;

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view of another form of slider embodying the principles of the present invention;

FIGURE 9 is a sectional view taken substantially along line VII-VII of FIGURE 8;

FIGURE 10 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along line VIIIVIII of F IGURE 8; and

FIGURE 11 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along line IX-IX of FIGURE 8.

On the drawings:

FIGURES 4 through 6 show fastener strips of the hinged type with which the slider of the present invention coacts. The strips each have web portions and marginal portions with the first strip S-l shown to the left in the figures having a web portion 2 and a marginal portion 4 integral therewith and mounted above the web portion. The marginal portion is shown laterally offset from the web portion 2 and has a downwardly facing shoulder.

The second strip S2 has a web portion 3 with a marginal portion 5 positioned alongside the web portion and integrally attached thereto by a hinge portion 6.

As illustrated in FIGURES 4 and 5, the marginal portion 4 has rib elements 7 while the marginal portion 5 has similar rib elements 8. Between each of the rib elements grooves are defined which are shaped to interlockingly receive the rib elements so that the marginal portions will be interlocked when pressed together and will be separated when forcibly pulled apart. The interlocking forces and the separating forces are applied by a slider 9.

The slider 9 is preferably formed with all of its por tions integral and may be manufactured from sheet metal bent and cut to form the shape shown in the drawings. The slider 9 may also be formed by a molding process being made of hard plastic or similar material suitable for molding. The slider has a flat back 10 which rides along the top of the strips. Integrally formed with the back 10 and extending downwardly therefrom are sides 11 and 12 which are parallel in the structure of FIGURES 1 and 2.

For aiding in holding the slider 10 in its straddling position over the strips, an inwardly bent flange 13 is at the lower edge of the slide 12 and rides beneath the shoulder of the marginal portion 4.

The sides 11 and 12 are spaced so that they apply a closing force to the strips to interlock the ribs and grooves. For interlocking the strips the slider is slid in a closing direction (which is toward the viewer in the position of the slider shown in FIGURES 1, 4 and 5) and the strips will be joined as they emerge from the closing end C of the slider 9. The slider is slid in an opposite direction (away from the viewer in FIGURES 1, 4 and 5) to separate the strips and as the strips emerge from the opening end 0 they will be separated to open the container which is shown at 9a in FIGURE 6. The strips are mounted at the top of the container such as by the web portions 2 and 3 being secured to the walls of the container. The web portions may be cemented or heat sealed to the walls or may be integral therewith and the elements of the strips are shown enlarged with respect to the walls of the bag 9a in FIGURE 6 for clarity of showing the features thereof.

The back 10 of the slider is extended at the opening end 0 into a back portion 14, and bent downwardly at one side of the back portion 14 is a separating finger 15. The finger is flat and has planar surfaces, being the thickness of the material of the slider.

At the base of the finger 15 is a lateral portion 16 which rides beneath the marginal portion 5 of the second closure strip as illustrated in FIGURE 5.

The space between the finger 15 and the first side 12 of the slider in effect forms a channel or slot 18, FIGURE 2, through which the first strip S-l passes when the slider is moved along the strips. The first strip 8-1 is thus in effect turned aside or bent out of and away from the second strip 5-2 when the slider is moved in an opening direction. It has been found that particularly with a thin walled finger 15 binding of the slider occurs which causes it to jam and interrupt its movement. I have found that this can be avoided by the provision of a wing 20 at the rear edge of the finger 15.

The wing 20 projects forwardly and outwardly in the lateral direction of the side 12. This provides a surface 22 which faces toward the first strip S-1 and which is generally parallel to the inner edges of the ribs 7 as they pass through the slot 18.

In some instances it is also useful to include a wing 19 which projects generally forwardly and laterally from the forward edge of the side 12 and more or less parallel to the wing 20. The wing 19 provides a forwardly facing surface 21 facing the surface 22 to provide approximately parallel surfaces with the channel 18 therebetween. While the wing 20 may in some arrangements operate without the wing 19, the addition of the wing 19 provides additional advantages, such as making it possible to better grasp the slider side 12.

Another arrangement which may be employed is shown in the sectional view of FIGURE 3. It will be understood that the rest of the slider of FIGURE 3 is substantially similar to the slider of FIGURE 1.

The slider of FIGURE 3 has a back, not shown, with sides 11' and 23 extending downwardly therefrom, with the side 11' parallel to the strips, and the side 23 diverging outwardly relative to the strips toward the opening end 0 of the slider. In other words, the side 23 converges toward the side 11 toward the closing end C. A retaining flange 24 is bent inwardly from the base of the side 23 for aiding in holding the slider on the strips. The remainder of the slider of FIGURE 3 is substantially the same as the slider of FIGURE 1, having a finger 15, with a lateral portion 16'. A forward wing 20' extends outwardly and forwardly from the rear edge of the finger 15'.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view at the closing end C of the slider 19 in FIGURE 1, showing the sides 11 and 12 pressing the strips S-1 and 8-2 together.

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view illustrating the opening end 0 of the slider, showing the strip S-1 guided outwardly through the slot 18 and turned outwardly by the wing 20. The wing 20 in effect broadens the effective structure of the finger 15 without requiring that the material be thickened, The separating function of the finger is uniformly progressive from its rear edge since the surface 22 of the wing 20 extends gradually outwardly. The wing 20 will also strengthen the vertical beam strength of the finger which is advantageous inasmuch as the finger is cantilever mounted at its upper edge on the extension 14 of the back 10. These advantages are afforded to the finger without requiring thickening of the material needed and the minimum thickness of material can be dictated by the required strength of other elements such as the sides 11 and 12 of the slider. This conserves material and provides a more lightweight slider.

The wing 20 may be longer as shown by the wing 20 in FIGURE 7 so as to prevent the top of the strip S1 from getting below the lower edge 25 of the wing 20', when the fastener is stressed and thereby locking the fastener.

In FIGURE 7 a slider 9" is shown with the strip S-1 and 8-2, generally constructed the same as the slider of FIGURES 1, 2 and 5 but with an elongate wing 20".

Thus is will be seen that I have provided an improved slider particularly adapted for use with a hinged type fastener of the type illustrated, which meets the objects, advantages and features above set forth. The unit provides a slider which can be made by rapid manufacturing processes of a single sheet of material, and the resultant slider performs an improved separating and joining function for the strips avoiding disadvantages heretofore present.

FIGURES 8 through 11 illustrate a slider 40 which has a back portion 41 with downwardly extend-ing sides 42 and 43. The slider is formed of one piece and preferably is constructed of sheet metal cut and shaped as illustrated. The surfaces are each planar and the slider 40 presents a strong easily manufactured unit. The slider is mounted on strips 11a and 12a having marginal portions 18a and 19a.

The sides 42 and 43 are parallel to each other and the inner surfaces which slide along the strips are parallel. This provides a stabilizing channel or conduit which engages the strips from four directions aiding and orienting and holding the slider in linear alignment and preventing the slider from inadvertently coming off of the strips. Making the sides parallel instead of tapering toward each other considerably facilitates the manufacture and production of the slider.

At the lower edge of the side 42 is a horizontal inwardly bent flange 44. This flange can be provided of substantial depth for riding beneath the shoulder 26a of the strips, as illustrated in FIGURE 10.. The construction which permits the second side 43 to be straight without an inturned flange at its lower end, permits the provision of a deeper shoulder 26a and therefore a deeper flange 44 and therefore a better retention of the fastener strips.

For channeling the strips together as the slider is moved in a closing direction, a camming plate or ear 45 extends outwardly from the side 42. This car 45 extends the area of the side 42 that is available for grasping the slider.

The retaining flange 44 is beveled along its leading edge 46 approximately in alignment with the ear 45, as shown in FIGURE 9 to accommodate entry of the strip 18a into the slider.

The back section 41 is provided with an extension 47, and the side 43 extends linearly at 48. These extensions provide stabilizing surfaces for sliding along the strip 19a and for supporting the slider as it channels the strip 18a into interlocking engagement with the strip 19a.

A separating finger 49 is bent downwardly from the back extension 47 to slide between the strips for separating them when the slider is moved in an opening direction, as illustrated in FIGURE 9. The finger is bent laterally in a retaining tab 50 which slides beneath the marginal portion of the strip 12a. Thus the strip 19a is engaged from four sides at the opening end 0 of the slider to aid in orienting its position, and the tab 50 also aids in preventing the slider from inadvertently being lifted off of the strips.

Thus it will be seen that the arrangement of FIGURES 8 through 11 provides a slider which meets the objectives and advantages above set forth, and the slider is provided with parallel walls with only one of the slider walls or sides turned in at the bottom thereby allowing for a simpler method of manufacture and for better holding qualities of the slider on the strips.

As will be recognized from the foregoing description of the drawings, the structure shown in FIGURES 8 through 11 may be employed with dual ears such as shown at both 19 and 22 in FIGURE 1 instead of only a single ear such as shown at 45 in FIGURE 8. However, in certain environments, a single ear is desired.

The drawings and specifications present a detailed disclosure of the preferred embodiments of the invention, and it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific forms disclosed, but covers all modifications, changes and alternative constructions and methods falling within the scope of the principles taught by the invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A slider for closing and opening first and second fastener strips each having a web portion and an attached marginal portion with releasably interlocking rib and groove elements on the facing surfaces of the marginal portions and with the marginal portion of the second strip attached to its Web portion by a laterally extending integral hinge portion, the slider comprising,

a back portion with downwardly extending first and second sides for straddling the strips having linearly extending planar inner parallel surfaces,

a lateral member projecting outwardly at an angle to said surfaces and leading into the first side, a separating finger positioned linearly beyond the lateral member for separating the strips, and

a stabilizing surface engaging a surface on the strip facing said lateral member and positioned linearly beyond said member.

2. A slider for closing and opening first and second fastener strips each having a web portion and an attached marginal portion with releasably interlocking rib and groove elements on the facing surfaces of the marginal portions and with the marginal portion of the second strip attached to its web portion by a laterally extending integral hinge portion, the slider comprising,

a back portion with downwardly extending first and second sides for straddling the strips :having linearly extending planar inner parallel surfaces, a lateral member projecting outwardly at an angle to said surfaces and leading into the first side, a separating finger positioned linearly beyond the lateral member for separating the strips, and

an extension surface extending linearly from said second side beyond said lateral member so that the slider will remain parallel to the strips as the slider is moved along the strips.

3. A slider for closing and opening first and second fastener strips each having a web portion and an attached marginal portion with releasably interlocking rib and groove elements on the facing surfaces of the marginal portions and with the marginal portion of the second strip attached to its web portion by a laterally extending integral hinge portion, the slider comprising,

a back portion with downwardly extending first and second sides for straddling the strips having linearly extending planar inner parallel surfaces, a lateral member projecting outwardly at an angle to said surfaces and leading into the first side, and

a separating finger positioned linearly beyond said lateral member for separating the strips when the slider is moving in an opening direction,

said back portion and said second side extending linearly beyond said lateral member so that the slider will remain linearly oriented with the strips,

said finger supported on the extension of said back portion.

4. A slider for closing and opening first and second fastener strips each having a Web portion and an attached mariginal portion with releasably interlocking rib and groove elements on the facing surfaces of the marginal portions and with the marginal portion of the second strip attached to its web portion by a laterally extending integral hinge portion, the slider comprising,

a back portion with downwardly extending first and second sides for straddling the strips having linearly extending planar inner parallel surfaces,

a relatively flat downwardly extending separating finger positioned linearly beyond said closing means having planar side surfaces for separating the strips when the slider is moved in an opening direction, and

a horizontal longitudinally extending fiat flange at the lower end of said finger for projecting beneath the marginal portion of said second strip.

5. A slider for closing and opening first and second fastener strips each having a web portion and an attached marginal portion with releasably interlocking rib and groove elements on the facing surfaces of the mariginal portions and with the marginal portion of the second strip attached to its web portion by a laterally extending integral hinge portion, the slider comprising,

a back portion and first and second sides extending downwardly therefrom with inner laterally facing planar parallel surfaces,

an inwardly extending retaining flange at the lower edge of said first side for riding beneath the marginal portion of the first strip,

a lateral member projecting outwardly at an angle to said surfaces and leading into the first side,

a tapered edge on said flange extending substantially parallel to the surface of the lateral member,

a linear extension of the second side and of the back projecting beyond the lateral member,

a finger bent downwardly from the extension of the back for separating the strips, and

a laterally extending portion at the lower end of said finger for riding beneath the marginal portion of the second strip.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,703,712 2/1929 Aud.

2,862,274 1/1958 Morin 24-20515 3,115,689 12/1963 Jacobs 24205.15 X

FOREIGN PATENTS 554,505 2/1957 Belgium.

WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

B. A. GELAK, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A SLIDER FOR CLOSING AND OPENING FIRST AND SECOND FASTENER STRIPS EACH HAVING A WEB PORTION AND AN ATTACHED MARGINAL PORTION WITH RELEASABLY INTERLOCKING RIB AND GROOVE ELEMENTS ON THE FACING SURFACES OF THE MARGINAL STRIP ATTACHED TO ITS WEB PORTION BY A LATERALLY EXTENDING INTEGRAL HINGE PORTION, THE SLIDER COMPRISING, A BACK PORTION WITH DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING FIRST AND SECOND SIDES FOR STRADDLING THE STRIPS HAVING LINEARLY EXTENDING PLANAR INNER PARALLEL SURFACES, A LATERAL MEMBER PROJECTING OUTWARDLY AT AN ANGLE TO SAID SURFACES AND LEADING INTO THE FIRST SIDE, A SEPARATING FINGER POSITIONED LINEARLY BEYOND THE LATERAL MEMBER FOR SEPARATING THE STRIPS, AND 